Chapter 47 The Secret They Hid
The hotel lobby was still echoing with laughter.
Kabir and Dev sat side by side on the couch, looking like two students who had just been caught cheating on an exam.
The rest of the group had formed a semicircle around them.
No one was leaving.
Not until they got answers.
Rohan leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"So... are you two finally going to explain yourselves?"
Kabir sighed dramatically.
"I suddenly understand why criminals ask for lawyers."
"You don't need a lawyer," Siddharth replied with a grin. "You need a miracle."
Everyone laughed.
Dev calmly took another sip of his coffee.
"You all are acting as if we've committed a crime."
"You have," rohan declared. "Eight months of dating and not a single hint? That's betrayal."
"Exactly!" Sidharth agreed. "We're supposed to be your best friends."
Kabir raised both hands in surrender.
"Fine, fine. We'll tell you everything."
Rohan rubbed his palms together excitedly.
"Good. Start from the beginning."
"The very beginning," Siddharth added.
Kabir exchanged a glance with Dev.
A small smile appeared on Dev's face before he nodded.
Kabir took a deep breath.
"It all started..."
He paused dramatically.
"...at a bar."
Silence.
Then everyone's jaws dropped at once.
"A BAR?" Rohan nearly shouted.
Kabir nodded proudly.
"Yes."
Siddharth blinked twice.
"You?"
Arjun folded his arms.
"I didn't know either of you even went to bars."
Kabir shrugged.
"I had just wrapped up a stressful client meeting. I wanted one peaceful evening."
Rohan smirked.
"And you found love instead."
Kabir laughed softly.
"Something like that."
---
Eight Months Earlier...
Soft music drifted through the crowded bar.
People laughed, glasses clinked together, and conversations blended into the background.
Kabir stepped inside, loosening the top button of his shirt.
"What a day," he muttered to himself.
He walked toward the counter and ordered a drink before scanning the room absentmindedly.
That was when he saw him.
A man sat alone in the far corner.
Black shirt.
Sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows.
A glass of whiskey rested untouched in his hand.
Unlike everyone else, he wasn't interested in the music or the crowd.
He simply sat there quietly, completely lost in thought.
Kabir couldn't help smiling.
"Well..."
"He's handsome."
Without a second thought, he picked up his drink and walked straight toward the stranger.
"Mind if I join you?"
The man looked up.
Calm eyes met Kabir's playful smile.
"I do."
Kabir blinked.
Then laughed.
"Honest. I like that."
The stranger raised an eyebrow.
"You shouldn't."
Kabir ignored the warning and pulled out the chair opposite him anyway.
"I'm Kabir."
The man remained silent for a moment before answering.
"Dev."
Kabir smiled brightly.
"Nice to meet you, Dev."
Dev gave a small nod before returning his attention to his drink.
Most people would have taken the hint.
Kabir wasn't most people.
"So..."
No response.
"You come here often?"
Nothing.
"You always this serious?"
Still nothing.
Kabir rested his chin on his hand.
"I've been talking for almost five minutes."
Dev looked at him with the same calm expression.
"I noticed."
"And?"
"You talk a lot."
Kabir gasped dramatically.
"That was rude."
"It was truthful."
For a second, Kabir simply stared at him.
Then he burst into laughter.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"I think I'm going to like you."
Dev sighed quietly.
"I doubt that."
"Oh, I definitely will."
Dev shook his head, already wondering why this stranger refused to leave him alone.
Little did he know...
That stubborn, endlessly talkative man sitting across from him was about to change his life forever.
Dev finished his drink and stood up.
"It was nice meeting you."
Kabir looked up immediately.
"You're leaving already?"
"I have an early meeting tomorrow."
Kabir pouted dramatically.
"We've only just met."
"We've known each other for twenty-three minutes."
"So? That's enough time to become friends."
Dev couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged at the corner of his lips.
"You decide friendships very quickly."
"I decide people very quickly."
"And your decision?"
Kabir smiled without hesitation.
"You're interesting."
Dev shook his head.
"I don't think anyone has ever called me that."
"Then everyone before me had terrible taste."
Before Dev could reply, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen before answering.
"I'll be there in ten minutes."
After ending the call, he looked at Kabir.
"I should go."
Kabir's smile faded for a second.
"Oh... okay."
Dev gave him a small nod and walked toward the exit.
Kabir watched him leave with an amused smile.
"What an interesting man."
Little did he know...
That wouldn't be their last meeting.
---
Outside, the cool night breeze brushed against Kabir's face as he stepped out of the bar a few minutes later.
The street was quieter than before.
He had barely taken a few steps when he heard a whistle behind him.
"Hey, handsome."
Kabir ignored it and kept walking.
Another voice followed.
"Why the attitude?"
Three drunken men blocked his path.
One of them stepped closer with an unpleasant grin.
"Come on... don't be shy."
Kabir forced a polite smile.
"Move."
Instead, they surrounded him.
His smile slowly disappeared.
"I said... move."
The tallest man laughed.
"And if we don't?"
Kabir looked around.
The street was almost empty.
He took a slow step back.
Just as one of the men reached for his arm-
A calm voice echoed behind them.
"I believe he asked you to move."
All four men turned.
Dev stood a few feet away, hands tucked inside his pockets.
His expression remained calm.
But his eyes were anything but.
One of the men scoffed.
"And who are you?"
"Someone who's asking nicely."
The man laughed and stepped toward Dev.
"What if we say no?"
Dev sighed softly.
"I was hoping you wouldn't."
Within seconds, the man's confident smile vanished.
No one saw exactly what happened.
Only that the drunk man stumbled backward after Dev pushed him away with enough force to make him lose his balance.
The remaining two exchanged nervous glances.
Dev didn't raise his voice.
Didn't threaten them.
He simply looked at them.
"Leave."
There was something in his tone that made even the drunk men hesitate.
Without another word, they muttered under their breath and walked away.
Silence returned to the street.
Kabir let out the breath he had been holding.
"You know..."
Dev turned toward him.
"You have a habit of appearing at the perfect time."
"You shouldn't walk alone this late."
Kabir folded his arms.
"Is that concern I hear?"
"It's common sense."
Kabir grinned.
"I'll accept it anyway."
For the first time that evening, Dev laughed softly.
It lasted barely a second.
But Kabir noticed.
"There it is."
Dev frowned.
"What?"
"Your smile."
"I smiled?"
"You did."
"I don't think so."
"You definitely did."
Dev sighed.
"You talk too much."
"And yet... you're still standing here."
Dev looked at him for a moment before speaking.
"Where's your car?"
Kabir blinked.
"A few streets away."
"I'll walk with you."
Kabir's grin widened.
"You know, if someone saw us, they'd think we're on a date."
"We're not."
"Not yet."
Dev shook his head in defeat.
"You never give up, do you?"
Kabir smiled.
"Never."
As they walked through the quiet streets together, neither of them realized that this unexpected night-
One filled with teasing, danger, and a stranger's kindness-
Would become the beginning of a love story neither had been looking for.
The flashback continued...
"What happened after that?" Rohan asked impatiently.
Kabir smiled.
"I became the most annoying person in Dev's life."
"You already were," Dev corrected.
The group laughed.
---
The next morning...
Dev had just stepped out of his office after a long meeting when he heard a familiar voice.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Serious."
He closed his eyes for a brief second.
"I should've known."
Kabir stood outside the building with two cups of coffee in his hands and the brightest smile imaginable.
Dev looked at him.
"How did you find my office?"
Kabir handed him one of the cups.
"I asked."
"You asked who?"
"The receptionist."
"You shouldn't do that."
"But I did."
Dev looked at the coffee before accepting it.
"You really don't know when to stop."
Kabir grinned.
"I'll stop."
Dev raised an eyebrow.
"When?"
"When you agree to be my friend."
A small sigh escaped Dev.
"I thought we already established that you decide friendships too quickly."
Kabir smiled.
"Good."
"What?"
"You didn't say no."
For a moment, Dev simply stared at him.
Then, despite himself...
He smiled.
A tiny smile.
Barely noticeable.
Kabir pointed at him excitedly.
"There!"
"What?"
"You smiled again."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
Dev shook his head.
"You imagine too much."
"I pay attention."
Something about those words made Dev pause.
For the first time in a long while...
Someone had noticed the small things about him.
---
Days turned into weeks.
What began with unexpected coffee visits slowly became a routine.
Sometimes Kabir would wait outside Dev's office.
Sometimes Dev would quietly text him first.
Coffee became dinners.
Dinners became long drives.
Long drives became endless conversations.
Kabir talked enough for both of them.
Dev listened.
But whenever Dev did speak...
Kabir listened just as carefully.
They learned each other's favorite food.
Favorite music.
Favorite places.
Kabir discovered that Dev secretly loved old Hindi songs.
Dev discovered Kabir couldn't survive a day without coffee.
Kabir learned that Dev remembered every tiny detail people casually mentioned.
Dev learned that behind Kabir's jokes was someone who carried his own fears quietly.
Slowly...
Without either of them realizing it...
Friendship became comfort.